


Chronicles of the Void

by DarthImperius



Series: DarthImperius's Plot Bunny stories [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dimension Travel, Gen, Hogwarts Fifth Year, No Romance, Original Character(s), Post-Goblet of Fire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-09-28 09:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10085684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthImperius/pseuds/DarthImperius
Summary: No one can escape the call of the Void, and Harry Potter is no exception to this rule. As he is transported into a completely different universe without both warning and his consent, Harry will have to learn how things work in this strange yet oddly familiar land. Perhaps, with time, he may come to enjoy his stay in that which is the great emptiness.





	1. The Call of the Void

**Author's Note:**

> The Harry Potter franchise and all its contents belong to J.K. Rowling

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

  ** _Chapter 1 – The Call of the Void _ **

**Grimmauld Place, London, England (U.K.)**

"He got off, he got off, he got off,…"

The chant from Ginny, Fred and George was rather cheering for Harry, considering he had just escaped expulsion from Hogwarts. To Molly Weasley, however, it was mere fuel to a new wave of shouting by the portrait of Walburga Black, which had to be avoided at all costs. Not that she wasn’t happy for Harry, but there were better and less noisy ways to show it.

“Good grief that Dumbledore was there,” spoke Molly as she was told what had transpired in the Ministry. “Now, Harry, I’m sure you must be hungry. Come and have lunch. You hardly ate anything early this morning.”

The empty feeling which came from his stomach and the temptation of Mrs. Weasley food made it impossible for Harry to refuse. His mood was improving somewhat, contrasting with what it had been like when he had arrived at the house. Ron and Hermione were sitting next to him, chatting about the trial and Dumbledore. They spoke as Harry ate, but his attention was diverted from the food and his friends towards the scar.

“What is it Harry?” asked Hermione, as Harry began to rub his scar.

“The scar… the usual,” he grumbled. “It’s tradition by now.”

And with Voldemort active, he was sure there would be far more spikes of pain than before. Nothing he could do about that.

“You alright mate?” asked Ron. “You seem a bit pale.”

Hermione nodded. “He’s right Harry. You look sick.”

He looked at the two confused.

“What are you talking about? I feel normal.”

As fate would decree it, as soon as those words were said, a wave of nausea took hold of Harry, prompting him to urgently get up before falling on the floor, vomiting the contents of his stomach into the ground. In these instants, his mind completely ignored everyone around him, wanting only for this agony to stop.

Before he knew it, he was being raised to his feet and basically dragged to a nearby armchair, a spell having been cast at him to clean his clothes from the vomit. He felt horribly weak, his limbs no longer obeying him fully. A sensation of warmth took hold of his body, as if he was in the process of falling asleep. Despite hearing the echoes of people calling his name and attempting to have his attention, Harry did the only thing his body allowed him to.

He closed his eyes.

* * *

 

He felt weak, as if his body had lost all will to move. Harry was aware that he was no longer sitting, but sprawled on the cold stone floor.

Wait… stone? He could be mistaken, but the floor of the kitchen was made of wood. He felt a huge headache, joined with pain across his entire body, as if he had been beaten up by someone. Moment by moment, Harry began to feel himself more aware of things, but was not enough recovered to either open his eyes or to get up. But then he felt a hand on his back, shaking him.

“Hey… hey kid!”

The voice was both young and unfamiliar, enough to speed up Harry’s recovery of consciousness.

“You think he’s dead?” he heard someone else, a girl by the sounds of it, asking. “Or dying, at least?”

“Not likely,” remarked another voice. “Unconscious at best. Had he been dead, he would be here no more.”

“Right, I forgot that,” replied the girl.

Using what little strength he had, Harry attempted to move his arm.

“He’s moving!” spoke yet another voice.

Harry groaned in pain, and he felt someone lifting him into a sitting position.

“Hey, can you hear me kid?” asked the first voice.

In a half-hearted attempt to open his eyes, Harry managed to pry open his left eyelid, closing it quickly from sensitivity to the light. His awareness was far more recovered, and he could hear what seemed to be birds, so that meant he was no longer in Sirius’s house. Where exactly was he? Had it been a portkey which had taken him to… wherever he was right now? Not feeling safe at all, and very vulnerable at the moment, Harry forced his eyes open, experiencing a slight case of major visual agony.

“W-wha…?” he managed, his eyesight slowly adapting to the light. “Where am… where am I?”

He could now see the four people who surrounded him. Two boys and two girls, somewhere around his age, although one of the girls seemed to be somewhat younger. None of them was familiar to him, and neither were his surroundings.

“The Void,” replied the boy who had taken hold of him.

“The what?” asked the wizard.

The four exchanged looks of understanding.

“He must be a neophyte,” commented the other boy.

“Then why did he appear here?” said the youngest girl.

“An anomaly, most likely,” said the first boy, before looking at Harry. “Let’s see if we can get you on your feet.”

The other boy came over to them, and as the two grabbed Harry’s arms, they gently raised the young wizard to his feet. Harry’s first action was to find something to hold on to, said thing manifesting itself in the form of a nearby table.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, still quite stunned by this whole situation. “Who are you? And what is the Void?”

“I’m Alexios,” said the first boy, before pointing at the other three. “That guy is Eamon, the tall one is Aminah, and the small one of Clodovea.”

“Shut it Alexios,” snarled Clodovea. “Compared to you I’m ancient!”

While it seemed that height was a sore subject for the girl called Clodovea, Harry found it difficult to believe that she was older than Alexios. Still, better not make assumptions based on appearances alone.

“Anyway, the Void…,” continued Alexios. “…well, the Void is erm… how should I explain this? It’s like a universe filled with smaller universes, outside the general multiverse.”

“I’m sorry, what?” asked Harry, not following the thought pattern of Alexios. Universes and multiverses? What the hell, was going on here?

“Yeah, I’m not good at explaining these things,” muttered the boy. “The guys at the Conference are better at these things. And what about you? What’s your name?”

“Harry,” he replied, not wanting to draw his surname into the picture.

“Well, Harry, I think its is best if we get you out of here,” affirmed Eamon, before extending his arm. “By the way, is this wand yours?”

Harry took it. “Yeah, that’s my wa… wait, you’re wizards?”

Aminah chuckled. “Unless any of these three has been hiding secrets, then no. But there are many of your kind in the Void. Once you’re all sorted out, you may even join the Guild of Magical Arts, If that’s your sort of thing.”

Harry nodded, still a bit numb from the small explanation.

“And what is this place? Where we are?” he asked. “These seem like ruins.”

“Well, they are ruins,” confirmed Clodovea. “Ancestral ruins to be precise. We were exploring this place right before you appeared.”

“Ancestral?” he asked rather curious.

“Built by the first generation factions which ruled over the Great Void,” explained Alexios. “They’ve been gone for millennia now. We’re the seventh generation to inhabit the Void.”

“Seventh? What happened to the others?”

“War happened,” stated Eamon. “Minor issues which escalated into conflicts which depopulated the Void. At least that’s what the recovered records indicate. For all we know, someone might have sneezed at the wrong time. Or perhaps someone was betrayed and the other party was not very happy with it. Who knows?”

“As members of the Guild of Explorers, it is our duty to discover and explore new lands, seeking information about past events and scouting territories which might be reused,” said Clodovea. “But you’ll learn all about that soon enough. Alexios, open the gate. Mine has no energy left.”

“Right away!” said the boy as he took out a small flashlight-like device, pointing it at a nearby wall.

As he pressed a button, a small orb was shot out from the device, and as it hit the hall, a bluish wormhole appeared, startling Harry.

 _“Why did I leave my bed this morning?”_ he thought, before bitterly reminding himself of the reason. _“Oh, right. The hearing.”_

“Come on Harry,” said Alexios as he approached the portal. “No need to be afraid.”

The boy entered the portal, Harry observing as his figure vanished.

 _“I suppose this must be like Floo,”_ thought Harry as he reluctantly approached the portal.

As he began to touch the distortion, Harry realized his surroundings had shifted, the bluish light of the portal being replaced by a dark ambience. He was no longer in the ruins, standing instead in what seemed to be a square of some sort, filled with countless people, and curiously enough, there were no adults in sight. Many skyscrapers surrounded the square, and the sky was dark, filled with equally dark clouds. This whole place seemed to be somewhat futuristic, and as a strange sound came from behind him, Harry turned around to see that the portal had closed and the three others had joined him and Alexios.

Yet behind them was an extremely high tower, surpassing the dark clouds and reaching into the high unknown. His attention was fully focused on that building, and it seemed his undivided attention had been noticed by Alexios.

“That tower is the headquarters of the Presidium. The interfactional government of the Great Void.” explained the teenager. “And since this is your first time here…. welcome to the Great Conference.”

“Thanks, I guess,” said Harry. “What now?”

“Now you need to be registered, as all neophytes,” said Eamon. “After that, you will be given a mentor who will guide you during your early stay in the Great Void. When you have learned all the basics, then you’ll have freedom to do whatever you want. Well, within the law of course.”

“Unless you go to the Federation,” pointed out Clodovea. “Most people turn a blind eye to unsavoury things there.”

“Sound like a pleasant place,” said Harry sarcastically.

“If you know where to go and who to avoid, then it can be a rather pleasant place,” said Aminah. “And the prices are rather reasonable in their cities.”

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder.

“No need to be talking about things Harry here won’t understand for now,” declared Alexios. “What he needs right now, is to get registered. Come on kid, it’s right there on the tower.”

The group guided him towards the Presidium’s headquarters, and with each step, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he had gotten himself into.

* * *

 

**_ The Database: _ **

**Great Void** – a dimension not connected to the general multiverse, “orbiting it” instead, and being located outside the normal time zone. Within it, countless and “smaller” dimensions are located, each connected by a complex network of portals. It is theorized that the Void is sentient, and it randomly chooses people to inhabit it, giving them the ability to travel between the void and their point of origin. Now at its seventh generation of factions, the Void is governed by the Great Conference.

 **The Great Conference** – a intergovernmental organization which governs the Great Void. It takes its name after the gatherings known as Great Conferences held by the Ten Ancestral Factions which ruled the Great Void in ancient times. It is composed of five factions, each having their own territories and laws. The main governmental body of the Conference is the Presidium, headed by an individual titled as President.

 **Federation of Free Cities** – one of the five factions of the Great Conference, it is governed by a group of representatives from the Seven Houses (also known as the Seven Families). The most infamous of the five factions, it is best known for its immoral businesses and lax policies regarding certain laws and criminals, mostly due to the fact that the Seven Houses are mob clans.

 


	2. Registration

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter franchise and all its contents belongs to J.K. Rowling

* * *

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

_**Chapter 2 – Registration** _

**Praesidium Tower, Conference City**

The central dome which composed the base of the tower had been Harry's main destination, the young wizard entering it only to find a moderately sized reception hall. A circular desk stood in the middle, strange lights being emanated through the floor and the ceiling, creating a column of blueish light where the large desk was. Behind the desk stood a humanoid ghost-like figure, blended into the column of light.

"What… what are those things?" he whispered as the five approached the desk.

"Holograms," replied Alexios. "You never heard of those? Your universe at least should have them in science-fiction. That is, unless you came from a pre-modern age."

Harry shook his head, being unfamiliar with the subject. As a wizard, he was by nature detached from sci-fi concepts, and the fact that the Dursleys had an immense dislike of the genre made it near-impossible for him to be decently familiarized with it during his childhood.

"Are they… alive?" he asked.

"Alive? Nah," replied Clodovea. "They're not even aware of themselves. Holograms are just computer programs projected as humans."

As they got closer to one of the holograms, it became aware of their presence, focusing on the five visitors.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to the Praesidium Tower," said the hologram receptionist. "Please, state the reason of your visit."

"Neophyte registration" affirmed Alexios.

The hologram nodded. "Neophyte, please step forward."

Harry did so, albeit wary of the hologram. The thing was too uncanny.

"State your full name."

"Harry James Potter," said the wizard.

"Gender?"

"Male."

"Current age."

"Fifteen."

"Point of origin?"

What exactly was that supposed to mean? Harry had no idea what a point of origin was, and the question was a bit subjective.

"What's the point of origin?" he asked to the four.

"Where you come from," clarified Eamon. "The name of the planet is enough."

Harry nodded, looking once more at the hologram.

"Earth."

The hologram suddenly took several steps back, its section of the desk slowly descending, allowing anyone passage into the column.

"Please, step into the platform," said the hologram.

"Well, I guess this is where we split up," spoke Alexios.

"Huh? Oh, ok," said Harry. "Thanks for helping me back there in… whatever that place was."

"No problem Harry," said Aminah. "We'll see you around."

"Oh, and if you feel like it, give the Guild of Explorers a shot, will you?" suggested Clodovea. "Wizards usually have success there, and you may like it."

Harry nodded. "I'll think about it. I'll see you around then."

The four began to head towards the exit, and Harry turned his attention towards the circular platform in the middle of the column, the hologram still waiting for him to step onto it. He walked towards it, and as soon as he was on top of it, the platform began to descend slowly. The area around him was rather small, illuminated by blue lines on the lift's walls. The lift's velocity began to increase, and soon Harry had arrived at an antechamber where another hologram was.

"Welcome neophyte," it said. "In the name of the Great Conference, I welcome you to the Great Void. In this session, you shall complete your registration, followed by an introduction to the vast history of the Void and its current status, as defined by the laws of the Conference. Please, proceed into the next chamber."

The hologram disappeared, and the door behind it opened, allowing Harry to enter the room. The hologram was already there waiting for him, and in the middle of the chamber was another light pillar, similar to that of the reception, albeit far smaller.

"Step into the light, to begin analysis."

Despite not knowing what exactly this analysis was, Harry followed the hologram's commands.

"Analysis in progress… analysis complete," affirmed the hologram. "Type-3 supernatural genetic pattern detected. Present your magical apparatus for examination."

Assuming the hologram was speaking about his wand, Harry took it from his jacket, holding it for the hologram to see.

"Magical apparatus composed of holly wood and phoenix feather," spoke the hologram. "Magical apparatus registration complete. Neophyte, please specify personal, non-intimate information for profile biography."

So what exactly was he supposed to say here? At least the damned thing could be a bit clearer on what it wanted. It's not like he knew the specifications of the registration. Still, if some information was required, he could at least say a few basic things.

"I'm the son of Lily and James Potter, although the two were murdered. I live in England and study in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a member of Gryffindor House."

"Adding information to personal records of Harry James Potter," said the program, his name being spoken in a slow manner. "Neophyte, proceed into the final chamber."

Once more, the hologram disappeared, allowing Harry to enter the next room. It was circular and slightly larger than the previous one, and on the middle, was a pedestal with a strange object on top of it.

"At the end of registration, all neophytes are to be granted an identification device, formally known as the Console. This will be your means of identification within the Great Void, all information within accessible only to you. The device also contains other functions, amongst them voice recording, limited data storage, and communication with other void inhabitants," explained the hologram. "The Console is waterproof, and built with the intent of enduring as much damage as possible, without compromising utility. In the event of critical damage or theft, inform the proper office in the Praesidium Tower."

Harry approached the pedestal, looking at the console. It was rather slim, and it appeared as if he needed to place it on his wrist, as if it was a watch of some sort. He exposed his right arm, and as he took hold of the console, the wizard placed the device on his arm, locking it into place.

"The device is synchronized with your personal profile, and ready to use. You may access the console by using the screen, or by voice," declared the hologram. "Now, step onto the circular platform beneath me, in order to continue."

As before, the hologram vanished, a circular pattern appearing where it had been, indicating where Harry was supposed to be. The teenager stepped onto the circle, and this time, the platform began to ascend. The speed began to increase, and soon he was back on the ground level. Except the lift didn't stop there, instead continuing to ascend into the high levels of the dome beneath the tower. Playing Quidditch had done wonders to any possible manifestation of acrophobia, so he was little unfazed by how high the platform currently was.

It finally reached its destination, stopping in some sort of empty waiting room. He had no idea of what to do right now, and so Harry decided to sit down, waiting to see if someone would come for him. A few moments later, his waiting came to an end, as a teenage girl came from a corridor. Her apparel seemed to be very… formal and official, something that Harry found to be rather off on someone of her age.

"Harry Potter, correct?" she asked, looking at a slim device on her hands.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Follow me, Mr. Potter," said the girl.

" _Very official indeed,"_ though the wizard.

He followed her into a corridor, wondering where she was taking him and what would be coming next.

"You're a lucky one, you know?" she said.

"Oh, why?"

"Your Call came during a rather calm season. Few newcomers to the Void," she commented. "Give it a few weeks and this place will be again filled with people waiting for their turn to complete their registration."

So there was some sort of pattern regarding new arrivals at the Great Void, and apparently, he had not followed said pattern. He should be thankful for that, if the girl's words were to be believed. She guided him into an office, closing the door as the two entered and motioning Harry to sit down in front of her desk.

"So, Mr. Potter, like the holograms down there, I'm going to make you some questions," she affirmed. "I need to have a clear understanding of your likes and dislikes, so that I can both assign a suitable mentor to you, and to suggest which guild you should join during your initiation period."

"My initiation period?" asked Harry.

"As a neophyte, you have limited access to certain sections of the Void. You are new and unexperienced, which means you have to learn how things work in the Void, before we give you more liberties and privileges," said the girl. "It is obligatory for all neophytes to have a temporary membership in one of the major guilds of the Void, as to promote integration. Once the period has ended, they may choose whether to continue as members of the guild, or to cease work there."

"Ok, I think I understand that."

"Good. Now, Mr. Potter, your record indicates you are a type-3 supernatural. In other words, a wizard," she said whilst reading something in the computer. "Is that correct?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Following the information on your profile, do you have any interest in any sports, either magical or non-magical?"

"I used to play a wizard sport called Quidditch back home," he said.

"Ah! Then you will be pleased to know that Quidditch is one of the several magical sports available here in the Void," she revealed. "If you have any future interest, then you must speak with the Guild of Magical Arts. They oversee magical sports and all related affairs."

That was rather pleasing to know, and rather curious as well. The presence of other wizards was already surreal, but who would have guessed Quidditch existed in this strange dimension. And if there was Quidditch, then it meant someone from his universe was in the Great Void. Or at least had been once.

"Any other activities you partake in?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "Not really."

The interview continued for a while, Harry being asked questions regarding topics he either liked or disliked, as well as giving certain details regarding his life that the girl deemed necessary to be recorded on his profile. It seemed he was one of those cases where there was so little information, that she was quite unable to give a proper suggestion.

"So, Mr. Potter. As the information you gave me is quite insufficient to assign you into a guild, the choice falls fully onto you," she said. "As a wizard, you are fully admissible into the Guild of Magical Arts, if you wish to join it. As a Neophyte, the basic choices for you would be the Guild of Explorers, the Guild of Cartographers, the Guild of Archivists, or the Guild of Caterers."

If these four were considered to be the basic guilds which he could join, then Harry's curiosity was immediately drawn to the Guild of Explorers, although he was rather curious about the Guild of Magical Arts as well.

"Can you tell me about the Guild of Explorers?" he asked.

"As the name indicates, the main goal of this guild is to explore new worlds and to rediscover those lost in the great wars of the past. They work closely with guilds such as the cartographers and the analysts, and have a partnership with the Serene Republic."

"Is that one of the five factions?" inquired Harry.

She nodded. "It is. The Serene Republic of Cornaro is highly connected with several guilds and other institutions, due to shared interests. Especially minor merchant guilds," explained the girl. "Patrons from the Republic seek out the Guild of Explorers to locate worlds, explore them, and recover artefacts they desire to have. Still, membership in the Guild of Explorers proves to be rather active, compared to other guilds."

"Well, I can guess what the other guilds do by their names, and I'm not very interested in them for the moment. The Guild of Magical Arts is too… obvious for me to join, so I guess I'll try the explorers' guild. How long does the initiation period last?"

"By default, a total of three months," she said, to Harry's shock and surprise. "If you receive recommendations from your guild, then the initiation is shortened."

He couldn't spend three months in the void! What about Hogwarts, and the whole mess with Voldemort? He couldn't simply leave those things behind.

"Three months?" he asked. "I can't spend that much time here."

The girl chuckled, knowing exactly the why of Harry's reaction.

"Actually you can," she stated, "The Void does not follow the normal laws of time associated with the general multiverse. In the Great Void, it flows at a faster rate than in all other universes. And joined with the lack of aging that affects all inhabitants of the void… well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest. I've been here for nearly sixty years."

Harry simply stared at her, his mouth simply gaping in shock.

" _So that's what Clodovea meant back in those ruins!"_ he thought in realization. She had said that compared to Alexios she was ancient, so that probably meant that she had been summoned to the Void long before Alexios had been.

But that did not explain the lack of adults outside.

"Why are there no adults here? I mean, there were no outside and ignoring that many people are technically adults…"

"Honestly, no one is really sure," admitted the girl. "According to legend, the ten Ancestral Sovereigns decreed in one of the original Great Conferences that no physical adult was to be allowed entrance into the Great Void."

"I'm sorry, but they decreed that?" he asked somewhat confused by the wording. Were these Ancestral Sovereigns some type of gods or anything similar to be able to decide something like that?

"It's what the legend says," she repeated. "Weather that is or is not true, I want you to be aware of something Mr. Potter. The laws of reality within the void are… different. I cannot exactly say how, but the only example that comes to my mind right now relates to your ability to wield magic. While there is no major change from what it was in your origin universe, there will be certain aspects that are altered to fit the reality of this place. As I am not familiar with your magic, I cannot say exactly what is altered, but all those who wield some variation of it have said that certain concepts are different here. Did you understand what I said?"

He nodded.

"Good. So, lets register you into the Guild of Explorers," she spoke while typing something in the computer. There was silence for a few moments, before she spoke again. "Very well, Mr. Potter. You are now registered into the explorer's guild, and have been assigned into the guild hall here in the city. Your registration is effectively complete, and the last thing we need is to assign you both a residence and a tutor."

"A residence?"

"Well of course! Can't have you sleeping on the streets, after all!" said the girl. "Although the city is filled with residential buildings, it is also heavily populated. So we will assign you an apartment to share which you will share with other people. Don't worry, each has a limit of four residents, and when you have enough money, you may buy a house of your own, in any location you desire."

The young wizard nodded again, watching as the girl returned to her computer. She began to type once again, stopping only after a few moments.

"Done. The system has sorted you into an apartment inhabited by just another person," she said. "Like you, a member of the Guild of Explorers. Now, wait here for a moment, I have to get something."

She left the office, quickly returning with a small pen-like device on her hand. Sitting down, she showed it to Harry.

"This is an essential device you must have on your person all time," she declared. "This is the basic version of the Void Network Accessor. With this, you can access the portal network which connects all worlds within the Great Void. As I said before, you have restrictions regarding where you can go, but you'll find this rather useful anyway. Take it."

She held the device towards Harry, who took it from her. Now that he had it closer, he could see that it looked like a slim flashlight of sorts, similar to that of Alexios.

"You use this by pointing it towards a surface, and thinking of the location which you desire to access. It picks up your mental signals in some way I cannot explain, and reflects them into the portal network. In the event of a high fall, or a lack of viable surfaces, the Accessor will spawn the portal at least twelve meters away from you, in any direction. Do you understand?"

"I think so… yes."

He was quite sure that these technologies were only present in fiction, back in his universe. The closest thing he could think of that reminded him of portals, had to be either apparition or portkeys, and those were magical in nature. His sole and major conclusion at the moment was that the Void was weird.

"So Mr. Potter, since that is done, I think it's time to finally assign you a tutor."

As long as it was someone decent, Harry concluded that he would be fine with whoever he ended up with. Therefore, considering his usual luck, he had little hope for that to happen.


	3. Sylvester "Syl" Jones

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter franchise, and all its contents belong to J.K. Rowling

* * *

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

_**Chapter 3 – Sylvester "Syl" Jones** _

**Pieter van Straten Avenue, Penumbra District, Conference City**

One of several districts in Conference City, the Penumbra District loomed over the central district of the city, having been built on a rather steep hill. Still, the tall skyscrapers were not enough tall to surpass the Praesidium Tower, the enormous structure dwarfing all buildings in the city.

Harry had arrived at the address given to him by the Conference official, feeling quite nervous and excited about this whole thing. It was basically the same as his introduction to the wizarding world, except unlike the wizarding world, had no prior connection to the Great Void. It was rather refreshing, really. And it seemed that he had more freedom in the Great Void than in the muggle world, so that was a plus. He looked around, seeing that there were few people on the streets, possibly because they were either in their homes or somewhere else in the Void. Not that it unnerved him, but it was a rather curious thing, compared to the square where he had arrived in with Alexios's team, which had been filled with many more people.

He entered the apartment building which he had been assigned to, and immediately looked at his Console, looking at the information given to him regarding his new residence.

" _Ok, so it's on the… bloody hell, that's high!"_

So apparently, his apartment was located on the eighty-fourth floor of the building. He could be mistaken, but he never flown that high during Quidditch. Well, no way to change it now… at least until he managed to acquire enough money to get his own house in the Void. Shrugging, he looked at what appeared to be the lift, entering it. There was a small pad with all numbers, what to do with them being quite obvious. Pressing "eight" and "four", Harry watched as the doors closed, and as the lift began to rise, first slowly and quickly increasing in speed.

There was a window on the back of the lift, allowing him to see the exterior. As he rose, Harry quickly surpassed some of the surrounding buildings, soon observing the main district of the city below the Penumbra District, and the lightning-filled clouds above the Praesidium Tower. He did not even notice when the lift came to a full stop, doing so in a very smooth way. He had been so mesmerized by the rather gloomy yet attractive landscape that it was enough to distract him. It did not take long for him to notice something was different, and he quickly left the lift before looking at the Console once again.

"Eighty-fourth floor… apartment C," he mumbled while looking at the notes. "So, it's that one."

It was right to the left side of the lift, and as he removed the set of keys given to him at the end of the registration, Harry approached the door, wondering if his roommate was inside or somewhere else. He opened the door, finding himself in a rather modern-looking room. As he lived in Privet Drive and spent much of the year in Hogwarts, the experience of these quite futuristic and high-tech buildings was… shocking, to say the least. And in a closed space, it was far more noticeable than in the great entrance hall of the Praesidium Tower.

The holograms were tolerable, being rather similar to ghosts, and the portals too, were rather similar to certain methods of magical transportation. Yet for some reason, he was far more stunned by general furniture and decoration. And for obvious reasons, this house was filled with them.

"Hello!" he called out, seeing no one in the living room.

He had no answer, but a few moments later, he heard hurried footsteps coming from a corridor to his left. He turned towards it, assuming that whoever was coming from there was his roommate. In that small moment, he began to wonder once again what his roommate would both look like, and be like. Out from the corridor came an older male teenager, around seventeen years old if Harry had to guess, dressed in a rather… interesting manner. He knew that Vernon had been a fan of music from the Seventies and the Eighties, although a secret one, being very careful not to show his interests when in public or during visits. So from glances at VHS tapes and music videos, Harry could at least identify where the clothes chosen by this teen came from.

The boy had brown messy hair, and was fully dressed in white, a pink shirt being visible underneath the open blazer. For someone at home, it seemed a bit too much. That is, unless he had been out earlier or was planning to do so.

"Hey, you're my new roommate right?" asked the boy. "I got a message from the Conference a while ago."

He had a strangely smooth voice, and spoke in a quite relaxed way.

Harry nodded, feeling a bit awkward.

"Yeah. Harry Potter," he said, introducing himself.

The other teen smiled and steeped forward in a rather theatrical way, extending his hand in greeting.

"And I am Sylvester Jones, retired king of all that is funk, non-professional explorer for the guild, and disc jockey for Millennial Records FM," he announced. "You can call me Syl."

" _Wow, this guy is flashy!"_ thought Harry while shaking hands. _"Not as much as Lockhart, though."_

"So tell me kid, did they put you through that little questionnaire of theirs?" asked Syl.

"Yes," he replied.

"And they got nothin' out of it, am I right?"

Harry nodded.

Sylvester chuckled, before approaching Harry and placing an arm around his neck, leading him towards the building's balcony. Harry was extremely uncomfortable by this whole thing.

"Look kid, that whole thing was null," affirmed Syl. "They never get anything out of it, and when they do, it's normally the wrong one. Look at me, I was supposed to have been sent to the Guild of Historians, and look where I am now. Let the red tape stay in their little tower. Out here, it's all about what you choose to do, you dig?"

"Erm… I guess?"

That came out sounding more like a question than an answer, but Sylvester either choose to ignore it, or missed it completely. If Harry had to guess, it was the latter.

"Listen to my wisdom kid. The Void is a good place to start anew… leave your old live behind for as long as you want," continued Syl, before pointing at the vast metropolis in front of them. "Look at this city, tell me what you see."

"Well, it's a city," he said, knowing very well he was pointing out the obvious. "A gloomy, dark city."

"You have to look beyond the shells," insisted Sylvester. "You see that, but I see the perfect place to introduce you to the Void. The city may look the same from wherever you look, but what's inside is what matters. Come on, let me show you."

Now Harry had to interrupt.

"Sorry, but I'm not supposed to leave right now," he said. "I have to wait for my, erm… tutor to arrive."

At best, Sylvester seemed to be rather amused.

"You're a bit slow, aren't you kid?" said Syl. "I am your tutor!"

That Harry had not been expecting. He had been told that he would meet his tutor after he had arrived at his new residence, but he had not expected his tutor to also be his roommate.

"It's you?"

"Well, yeah. See, I'm an explorer, but also one of the tutors here in the city," explained the teenager. "The cats back in the Presidium saw this as an opportunity, so they placed you here with me. The tutor and the neophyte sharing a house makes things smoother to operate, you dig?"

"I do," he replied, still a bit confused and quite stunned. Yet Harry had to agree, it was rather convenient and made things less messy.

"Now, as I was saying," continued Syl. "I want to introduce you to a few people. Think of it as your welcoming committee, provided by yours truly."

Harry's nervousness had a sudden increase.

* * *

_**The Console Database:** _

**Pieter van Straten** –A former inhabitant of the Void, he rose to the office of Serene Prince of Cornaro and became renowned enough to have a street in Conference City named after him. He was severed after an accident (believed by some to have been an assassination) during a new year speech.

 **Severance** – The term given to the event of "death" within the Void. An individual who is "severed" does not actually die, but is instead returned to their point of origin, although without the ability to return to the Void. As such, they are considered dead to those who remain within the Void, the possibility of communication being rendered null (excluding individuals who share the same point of origin). In the Void, voluntary severance of another is a serious crime, punishable by severing the perpetrator and any accomplice.

 **Sylvester "Syl" Jones** – A former lead singer and later a member of the Guild of Explorers. Was widely known in the void as the "King of Funk", and many still claim he is the undisputed title holder. Nowadays, he is a philanthropist, and a DJ for one of the major radio stations in the Void.


End file.
